HackerTube.dev

FASTEST RC AIRPLANE IN THE WORLD! Transonic DP -- 545mph!!

sll914 · 314.5K views · 2018-06-11 · 1:14

Open on YouTube ↗

If playback is restricted in your region, try opening the original video. Use Mark watched to add it to your marked videos.

Overview

A one-minute clip of Spencer Lisenby setting a 545 mph speed record in an RC glider, the Transonic DP, using dynamic soaring. No motor is involved.

On Hacker News

HN cites it as the surprising example that the fastest RC aircraft is an unpowered glider using dynamic soaring.

Discussed on HN; no positive recommendation is recorded in this export · HN mentions 2018–2020

Topics

Aviation & aerospace engineeringEveryday physics & science demos
Search by tags
rc glidersspeed recorddynamic soaringaerodynamicsaviation

What people said

StavrosK · 2020-07 · Reference

Here's an RC glider doing 545 mph with that technique: [VIDEO] I don't know how they manage to control it or measure the speed, but it looks legit.

Read the original HN comment ↗
darkpuma · 2019-03 · Reference

There are some (mostly Brazilians) who would disqualify the Wright Flyer as the first airplane on the grounds that it took off from a rail. Is the engine breathing air really an essential part of the "airplane" definition? Solar Impulse 2 didn't breath air either, yet wasn't it an airplane too? @DuskStar It's certainly a glider on reentry. Now, most speed records for planes are "in level flight" which would disqualify the shuttle during reentry. But if we ignore that it's interesting that the speed record for manned aircraft is held by a glider, and the speed records for RC aircraft are also held by gliders! [VIDEO]

Read the original HN comment ↗
bufferoverflow · 2018-08 · Reference

It's worse, actually. There are motoless gliders that fly up to 545 mph, and then there are tiny jet planes that go up to 465 mph. You can jam the signal, but as soon as someone can put an autonomous vision system on them, it will become an extremely powerful weapon. You don't even need an explosive at these speeds, it can cut your target in half [VIDEO]

Read the original HN comment ↗

Sources

Video by sll914, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

HN summaries and labels may contain AI errors. HN dates refer to discussions, not video publication.

HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

Views, duration and playback status refresh separately from the published catalog. When an update fails, existing data remains visible.

Selection checks
  • SaaS & AI candidates: Topic keywords do not match
  • Editor-approved picks: Editorial review is required

Rule matches identify candidates. They do not guarantee video quality or financial results.

About the library and its sources